South Pacific Island Airways

South Pacific Island Airways
IATA ICAO Call sign
HK SPI[1] SOUTH PACIFIC
Founded1973 (1973)
Ceased operations
1987 (1987)
HubsPago Pago International Airport
Honolulu International Airport
Focus citiesPago Pago
Apia
Hagåtña
Fleet size8
Destinations18
HeadquartersHonolulu, Hawaii, United States[2]
Key peopleGeorge Wray (CEO)

South Pacific Island Airways (SPIA) was an airline operating flights in the Pacific including American Samoa and Hawaii with service to the west coast of U.S. and Canada as well as to Alaska, New Zealand, Guam and Tahiti from 1973 to 1987.[3]

History

SPIA was founded and wholly owned for most of its existence by George Wray.[4] Wray was an attorney who relocated his practice to American Samoa in the 1960s, and began an inter-island air service in the early 1970s using a Piper Cherokee Six aircraft.[5]

SPIA received Part 135 charter/commuter carrier certification in 1973, followed by Part 121 scheduled carrier certification in 1981. It was a frequent operator of military charter flights to Polynesia and Micronesia.[6]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began an investigation of SPIA in August 1983, initially focused on its maintenance activities in Honolulu. After several inspections, the FAA began the process of suspending SPIA's Part 121 certificate in May 1984, and ordered a 30-day suspension of both operating certificates on September 28, which SPIA appealed while continuing to operate.[6]

On the next day, September 29, a transatlantic SPIA charter flight almost flew into the airspace of the Soviet Union near the heavily militarized Kola Peninsula, before being intercepted by Norwegian fighter planes. The incident became known to the FAA on October 7, and on October 12 the FAA issued an emergency order immediately shutting down the airline.[7][8] SPIA appealed the shutdown order with the support of the American Samoa government,[8] but it became effective on October 22, 1984.[6]

SPIA filed for new operating certificates and was re-certified under Part 121 on January 29, 1985. Its Part 135 certification was restored on March 25, 1985. However, the Part 121 fleet was grounded again on May 29, 1985 due to compliance issues in SPIA's acquisition of hush kits for its Boeing 707 jetliners. This left SPIA with only two commuter aircraft operating under Part 135.[6]

While the airline's operational difficulties were ongoing in 1984, Wray suffered a swimming accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, and day-to-day operational control shifted to Mary Phillips. In the first half of 1985, SPIA failed to pay withholding taxes to the IRS, resulting in litigation and a six-figure judgment against Wray. The judgment was upheld on appeal in 1996.[4]

By 1986, SPIA was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and the IRS was seeking a liquidation of the airline for failure to pay its taxes. A new CEO, Brian Cooke, was appointed in August, but Wray continued to run the airline behind the scenes and control its bank accounts.[9]

SPIA entered liquidation on February 28, 1987, and most of its remaining assets were acquired by Samoa Air in October 1988.[10]

Former destinations

South Pacific Island Airways served these destinations during its existence primarily flying Boeing 707 jet aircraft although small de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops were used for feeder service as well:[11][12]

Canada

Fiji

Tahiti

Tonga

New Zealand

Cook Islands

Palau

Papua New Guinea

United States

American Samoa

Guam

Northern Mariana Islands

Fleet

As its peak South Pacific Island Airways fleet included:[2]

South Pacific Island Airways
TypeNumber
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander 1
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 3
Boeing 707 4

Accidents and incidents

  • On July 21, 1984, South Pacific Island Airways Flight 513, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter carrying 14 occupants, crashed upon landing at Tau Airport. While on final approach to the airport, the flight controls suddenly collapsed forward, and the nose of the aircraft pitched up. The Twin Otter then collided with a terminal building and a vehicle. One passenger died; the other 10 passengers and all 3 crew members survived. The investigation revealed that the elevator control cable was rusted, corroded, and broken due to inadequate inspection. The cable pulley in the area was also damaged. The corrosion of the control cable was worsened by the fact that the aircraft was operated in a humid and salty environment.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ICAO Codes
  2. 1 2 "South Pacific Island Airways", 1985 World Airline Directory, Flight International magazine, 30 March 1985, p.120 (online archive version) retrieved 2010-07-11
  3. ↑ Information about South Pacific Island Airways at the Aviation Safety Network
  4. 1 2 "PHILLIPS v. George A. Wray, Counter-Defendant-Appellant. (1996)". FindLaw. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  5. ↑ "George Wray Obituary March 17, 2025". McAlister-Smith Funeral & Cremation. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  6. 1 2 3 4 GAO (March 1986). "FAA's Surveillance of Two Contract Military Carriers" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Errant Airline May Face Grounding". The Toledo Blade. 1984-10-10. p. 10.
  8. 1 2 "South Pacific Island Airways, grounded by the Federal Aviation... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  9. ↑ "Cooke v. United States, 796 F. Supp. 1298 (N.D. Cal. 1992)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  10. ↑ "American Samoa Gov't v. South Pacific Island Airsystems,". American Samoa Bar Association. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  11. ↑ "South Pacific Island Airways December 15, 1983 Route Map".
  12. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1983 South Pacific Island Airways route map
  13. ↑ "Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. 21 July 1984. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.